Should I say Chanukah or Hanukkah?

In Hebrew, the name of the holiday is

חֲנוּכָּה

The confusion comes because of that first letter, ח, which represents a sound produced at the back of the throat (sort of like clearing the throat). The sound is often represented at “ch” or as “Ḥ”

Because this sound is not found in English, many English-speakers find it difficult to pronounce, while the “h” sound is easy, and so it’s perfectly acceptable (but not completely correct) to say “Hanukkah”.

It’s more authentic to say “Chanukah” if you are able.

Whatever you do, don’t say “Tchanukah” (with a “ch” as in “children”) – that’s just plain wrong!

We published a blog last year about the spelling of Chanukah, which is even more complicated. Read it here.

 One of the Chanukah cards we sell  makes light of the fact that there are many ways to spell Chanukah, because it’s an English approximation of a Hebrew word. It’s part of a pack of four that comes in any ChanuBox, or can be bought separately.

Our set of four postcard-style Chanukah cards.